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It was the shot heard around the world on January 1, 2019. Standing outside in the frigid Tokyo air, a group of pro wrestlers known as the Elite officially announced the formation of a brand new pro wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling.
Follow Sportskeeda for the latest WWE news, rumors and all other wrestling news.
The promotion came about in a hurry, flowing organically from the All In wrestling event promoted by the same men, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks. But as compelling as their story is, that's not what this slideshow is about.
Rather, it's about the reverberations felt all throughout the pro wrestling industry, and how they specifically affect the world's largest sports entertainment organization, the WWE.
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Within a short period of time after the AEW announcement, some high profile WWE stars requested a release from their contracts, and there are others rumored to be considering doing the same thing.
Right now, Dash and Dawson, known collectively as the Revival, are the poster children for this movement. Fortunately for WWE, there are things they can do to keep their talent happy and prevent them leaving for perceived greener pastures.
Here are ten things WWE can do for their wrestlers.
Disclaimer: The opinions made in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
#1 Rebuild the tag team division into something meaningful again
Over the years, there has been a slow, steady decline in the WWE's tag team division.
Once a prestigious division that launched the career of many major stars, such as Bret the Hitman Hart, the tag team division has become a mere shadow of itself.
Tag team wrestling had been hot for many years. Perhaps it reached a crescendo during the Attitude Era when the Hardys, Edge and Christian, and the Dudleys all set the world on fire with their TLC matches.
However, the tag titles have slowly lost their meaning over time until many fans don't know exactly who the champions even are.
If WWE wants to keep their talent happy, rebuilding the tag team division is a great place to start. After all, you can involve more wrestlers in the same angle, and provide a platform for performers to gain recognition and momentum.
It would also make the current tag teams feel more like they are contributing to the program instead of just spinning their wheels.
#2 Loosen corporate control of wrestling matches
One of the WWE's biggest strengths is the fact that it is a massive corporate entity. The fact is that WWE can produce a great deal more manpower, resources, and executives to handle day to day functions of their operation than the next closest competitor.
There is also plenty of resources available to the talent, like seamstresses to design or repair ring gear, and personal trainers on staff.
On the other hand, being a corporation is also one of WWE's greatest weaknesses. In corporate culture, it is often felt that individuals are sublimated in favor of the group goal.
It is also thought that sometimes people in authority will issue edicts that are difficult or impossible for their underlings to perform.
The WWE is no exception to this phenomenon. Many wrestlers, such as CM Punk, have cited the WWE's corporate interference with the nuances of pro wrestling matches as being a major bone of contention.
Perhaps by letting the wrestlers have more of a say in the decisions surrounding the business the WWE can help those wrestlers feel more valued and in control of their destinies.
#3 Shatter the glass ceiling
For many years, WWE has faced a similar criticism; They push the same superstars year in and year out, without allowing other talent to be elevated and perhaps share the spotlight.
If you want to go over it by the numbers, you will find that athletes like John Cena and Randy Orton have disproportionately main evented major events compared to their brethren.
While we're not knocking either Cena or Orton, who are both future Hall of Fame talents, it does seem disheartening to others on the roster.
There have been some Superstars who managed to shatter the glass ceiling, such as Finn Balor, but he was quickly moved back to a mid-card role.
By proving that the glass ceiling is just a myth, WWE can help to retain its talent in the face of renewed competition.
#4 Giving the wrestlers more creative control
When people point to many of the unfavorable happenstances in pro wrestling, a common culprit to blame is creative control by one or more wrestlers.
For example, the demise of WCW was seen to be at least in part because men like Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Nash used their creative control to benefit themselves rather than the promotion as a whole.
This is what led to the infamous 'finger poke of doom' since neither Nash nor Hogan wanted to cleanly job to the other. It is also why Bill Goldberg's undefeated streak was ended by Kevin Nash, despite Goldberg being the biggest star on WCW programming.
However, creative control doesn't have to be a be all and end all thing. Wrestlers can be given more control over their character development or match pacing without having similar nepotistic situations like Hogan and Nash brought to bear.
Daniel Bryan is currently being allowed full creative control, and he has used it to elevate wrestlers like Mustafa Ali, and even turned himself heel so he could help build more babyface talents in the company.
If WWE loosens its grip on creative control, it may be able to retain more wrestlers and avoid a talent exodus.
#5 Involving wrestlers in the writing process
Back in the regional days of pro wrestling, the match winners were predetermined but often it was the wrestlers themselves who would write the script.
Every match should ideally tell a story, and the promos, interviews, and sneak attacks are just chapters in the overall arcing angle. However, the WWE is well known for involving writers in the creative process who have had little or no experience with actual pro wrestling.
The WWE creative team is one of the most maligned factions on social media, and sometimes it's not just the fans decrying them. One very vocal critic is the Big Show, who says he likes live events better because there's less interference by the writing staff.
I hate TVs. (As in television taping days.) TVs, I just want to bash myself in the head with a hammer because they're just long, useless, time-wasting, bulls--t days where you sit around all friggin day for some idea that absolutely sucks. Debating it for hours and 17,000 inputs. And one or two guys laced up a pair of wrestling boots in their life and know what they're talking about. The others have never laced up a pair and really don't know s--t, but for some reason, they're telling you what to do.
By allowing more wrestler input into the creative process, WWE can help retain their wrestlers.
#6 Cut down on Vince McMahon's micromanagement
In many ways, Vince McMahon is a pro wrestling, or perhaps we should say Sports Entertainment, genius.
He single-handedly changed the wrestling business from regional promotions that usually performed in small venues into a global force of entertainment, selling out arenas with tens of thousands of people.
Not to mention he started Wrestlemania, which has become an annual celebration of all things sports entertainment.
However, no one wins all the time, and there have been situations where Vince McMahon has perhaps micromanaged his company with disastrous results.
One example is the fact that he continually pushed men like Heidenreich based on their former NFL status, even though they failed to resonate with the fans.
Another aspect of Vince's micromanagement pertains to television production. He has a propensity for changing his mind several times or at the last minute, leaving some writers feeling frustrated.
Vince is a genius, but constantly second-guessing your employees isn't always a good decision.
#7 Put greater emphasis on in-ring action
Over eight years ago, during the lead up to the 2008 US presidential election, the WWE decided to capitalize on the major media focus on the front running Democratic party candidates, namely Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama.
Using two 'ringers' who were trained wrestlers, the WWE had the two duke it out in effigy in a WWE ring. However, the segment was not well received by the fans in attendance, who booed, jabbed their thumbs down repeatedly, and chanted "we want wrestling."
While many of the WWE's backstage antics and skits can be quite entertaining, at the end of the day fans tune in to see the wrestling matches.
Much like MCU fans tune in to see Iron Man blast bad guys with his repulsor rays, WWE fans tune in to see suplexes, headlocks, and haymakers.
The fact remains that many talented in-ring performers aren't always the best at speaking on camera, learning scripted lines, or participating in chicanery. Not to mention that every promo, skit, or stunt involves time taken away from in-ring action.
By focusing on the wrestling, WWE can put more performers on every show and avoid letting down their talented wrestlers who were pre-empted for yet another backstage shenanigan.
#8 Make all of WWE more like NXT
If there's one brand in the WWE where the talent is NOT feeling frustrated or held back, it's probably NXT.
When you watch NXT, you are struck by how different it is from other WWE programming. For example, backstage skits and antics are held at a minimum, and when they do happen usually involve building animosity for a match.
Then there's the decidedly old school feel of the shows, which often involve more mat wrestling and scientific holds than one finds on SmackDown or RAW.
The wrestlers in NXT are also encouraged to express themselves creatively, and often have a lot of say in the way their matches are constructed and executed.
All of these factors would be a welcome addition to the talents working on the main roster, not to mention the fans watching at home.
#9 Money, Money, Money
Back when WCW was struggling to compete with WWE, their main advantage was a financial one.
With Ted Turner's backing, not to mention his vast media empire, WCW was able to coax many WWE talents away to their promotion.
Men like Macho Man Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall were all offered more money to work for WCW, which lured them away from WWE.
Now that AEW is trying to lure away their talent again, WWE can make certain that the past does not repeat itself. This time, WWE is the billion dollar company with a vast media empire, and they can use that financial lucrative muscle to keep their talent right in the WWE.
In fact, rumors abound that WWE is offering to DOUBLE any AEW contract. While this rumor is unproven, it does indicate that the WWE is planning to double down on retaining talent, which would be a smart move.
#10 Pick a longtime WWE employee and elevate them
One thing that often leads to disillusionment with WWE talent is the feeling that they are wasting their time in the promotion while others pass them on their way up the card.
This is particularly true for men like Kofi Kingston, who has been a bonafide star for WWE for over thirteen years, yet he has never been in the main event of a Wrestlemania or wore one of the company's big belts on any brand.
WWE could make an example of Kofi and elevate him to main event status, repaying his years of hard work and dedication and show that they do in fact care about their talent's contributions.
It would also go a long way to making the current younger talent feel as if so long as they keep plugging away their time will eventually come.
There you have it; Ten ways WWE can keep their talent from leaving for another promotion. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article below, and thanks for reading!
